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Transgender athlete Mary Gregory has come under scrutiny.

For the past few years the debate over whether transgender athletes should be competing in particular sports has heated up. It’s certainly a controversial topic of conversation, one that could potentially alienate a vast quantity of people depending on which side they stand on the argument.

It’s a touchy subject matter to say the least. It’s truly difficult to have an opinion on one side or the other without offending a entire section of the population. Yet, despite that fact, it’s an issue that must be discussed sooner rather than later in order to get some much needed clarification.

Recently the issue has come up again in the news. Transgender powerlifter Mary Gregory took to social media after winning nine out of nine events at the recent Raw Powerlifting Federation Event. Mary Gregory posted the below to Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

What a day, 9 for 9! Masters world squat record, open world bench record, masters world dl record, and masters world total record! Still processing, full meet recap to come a bit later but I do want to thank a few people!? – From our initial consultation I told @savvysavit that I wanted to cut to the 82.5kg class, go 9 for 9, and set some records- we did it!!! I don’t think she was happy with me cutting but she was there offering her support. When I needed a pick me up or advice she was there! Thank you coach!? – A huge thank you to @raw_powerlifting_federation_ , from the bottom of my heart! As a transgender lifter I was unsure what to expect going into this meet and everyone- all the spotters, loaders, referees, staff, meet director, all made me welcome and treated me as just another female lifter- thank you! And thanks to all the fans in the audience who cheered me on and congratulated me!? – Thank @rrrrachele for making the trip out to support me today, video my lifts, and cheer me on!? – And thank you to all the peeps on Instagram who reached out to offer your support!? – Now for ? and ?!!! – #transgenderwoman#sharetheplatform#transrightsarehumanrights#lgbtq#bemoreawesome#upliftandliftheavy#morefemalestrength#richmondbalance#liftlunchlearnrva#squat#bench#deadlift

A post shared by Mary Gregory (@75marylifts) on Apr 27, 2019 at 2:09pm PDT

Needless to say the post has been making the rounds and has a lot of individuals up in arms over the situation.

Former swimming champion Sharon Davies took to Twitter to address her opinion about the situation.

This is a trans woman a male body with male physiology setting a world record & winning a woman’s event in America in powerlifting. A woman with female biology cannot compete.. it’s a pointless unfair playing field. https://t.co/sI9i3AFANB

— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) April 28, 2019

Even Marc Lobliner had a lot to say about this turn of events.

It’s saddening to know that my daughter can work her butt off, break a women’s world record, and then have it broken by a biological male. This is absurd. It’s the powerlifting federation’s right to allow this, which is why they should be boycotted. https://t.co/rjsc4qzNNs

— Marc Lobliner (@MarcLobliner) May 1, 2019

Again the issue seems to be that male to female transgender athletes are the individuals that people have the biggest issue with. For many against male to female transgender athletes competing in women’s categories, the biggest issue is that women are feeling marginalized. As a result, supporting one group over the other will eventually result in a ton of backlash.

RAW President Paul Bossi had this to say about the controversial issue.

So what can we make of all this? Is it truly fair to have transgender athletes competing traditional categories designated for biologically born men and women?

As of now, it’s a question that is simply too difficult to answer and one that will have many scratching their heads in confusion and frustration. One thing is certain however. If they wish to avoid the public outcry and negative stigma of these kinds of situations, something will need to be done to the rule set to ensure fairness across the board.

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Source: Summit News